Senior Six leaver seeks Shs12 million for heart surgery 

Mr Innocent Atara who sat for Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) at Restore Leadership High School in Amuru District and scored 11 points in Physics Economics Mathematic/ICT in the recently released UACE results, is seeking about Shs12 million required for heart surgery.

Mr Atara, a resident of Atodi village, Omito Ward, Lira City West Division in Lira City, has been in pain for the past three years when the condition clearly manifested.

“Since 2020, I have been struggling to clearly identify the cause of the persistently high blood pressure. When it was time to join higher education, it had to be put aside due to financial difficulties and in June 2022, I met an intern doctor named Nuha Ziyad at Lira Regional Referral Hospital who offered to give me a number of medical tests and scans that later discovered the disease,” he said.

Mr Atara told the Monitor that the doctors at Uganda Heart Institute have warned that if no urgent surgery is conducted, the condition will have negative consequences for his life.

He is suffering from renal artery stenosis which is the narrowing of one or more arteries that carry blood to the kidneys (renal arteries). Narrowing of the arteries prevents enough oxygen-rich blood from reaching your kidneys. Your kidneys need adequate blood flow to help filter waste products and remove excess fluids.

He said doctors at Uganda Heart Institute recommend surgery if he is to be productive and healthy.  Sadly, his family cannot afford to raise about Shs12 million required for such an operation. This is because the prolonged illness has made him and the entire family become financially incapacitated.

He further explains that on October 9, last year he became unconscious for several hours and the sickness affected him for several months at school this worried him a lot about his class performance and even the teachers got concerned.

“Doctors said when high blood pressure stays for a long time, it can affect the other organs like straining the kidneys to shut down, give you heart complications in future or stroke when it is not controlled,” Mr Atara said.   

For any assistance towards his surgery, you can reach Atara on 0781 518859 or call Monica Aceng on 0763-377-973.